It was shocking news to many when the Grammys list came out without Wizkid and Tems missing from the list containing African singers who have won Grammy Awards.
The organizers of the 66th Grammy Awards released a list of African musicians who have won golden records since the 1960s, just in time for the ceremony on February 4.
The late South African singer Miriam Makeba was the first African-born Grammy winner, according to the list. Pop singer Sade was next on the list and became the first Nigerian to win the global award; Burna Boy was the last and most recent Nigerian to win the coveted gong.
Below are the 10 winners from Africa, according to the Grammys:
- Miriam Makeba (South Africa) — Best Folk Recording (with Harry Belafonte) – 1966
- Sade Adu (Nigeria/UK) — Best New Artist – 1986
- Ali Farka Touré (Mali) — Best World Music Album – 1994
- Cesária Évora (Cape Verde) — Best Contemporary World Music Album – 2004
- Youssou N’Dour (Senegal) — Best Contemporary World Music Album – 2005
- Angélique Kidjo (Benin/France) — Best Contemporary World Music Album – 2008
- RedOne (Morocco) — Best Dance/Electronic Album – 2010
- Tinariwen (Mali/Algeria/Libya) — Best World Music Album – 2012
- Burna Boy (Nigeria) — Best Global Music Album – 2021
- Best Dance/Electronic Album: Black Coffee (South Africa) — 2022
The list has, however, stirred an unending pot of controversy on social media platforms due to the exclusion of Wizkid and Tems, the Nigerian music heavyweights.
Wizkid received his first-ever Grammy award on March 14, 2021, for his work on the 2019 song “Brown Skin Girl,” which was performed by American singer Beyonce. The project won the ‘Best Music Video’ category.
Burna Boy won his first Grammy award for “Twice As Tall,” his 2020 project, winning the “Best Global Music Album” category around the same time that the hit song “Ojuelegba” feat.
